Setting up your iPhone – how to transfer your data

A few years ago getting your information onto a new phone was as simple as getting a PAC code to transfer your number. Now that our phones are cameras, diaries and address books as well, there’s more than just a phone number to transfer over and it’s not always a simple task.

But there are ways to make the transfer process easier. We’ve got some top tips on making sure your contacts, photos and more make it where you need them to go.

Back it up – iPhone and iCloud

The iPhone uses iCloud to back up your information. To setup iCloud first make sure you are connected to wi-fi, then head into ‘Settings‘, select ‘iCloud’ and use the sliders to choose which categories you want to back up.

Be sure to save the important stuff like contacts and photos, but beyond those it’s worth being selective since Apple only give you five gigabytes (GB) of free storage. If you’ve got a 64GB iPhone full of photos, you’ll need to pay Apple a monthly fee for the extra space. Once you’re happy with your selections, hit ‘Backup’ followed by ‘Back Up Now’ and your files will be copied onto your personal cloud which can be accessed from other iPhones, Macs and PCs.

iPhone’s back up multiple times a day, using data to transfer your files to the cloud. If you want to keep your bills down, go to Settings and click through to iCloud. In iCloud scroll down to ‘Documents & Data’ and make sure ‘Use Cellular Data’ is turned off – that way iCloud will only back up when you’re connected to wi-fi.

Back up to a PC

You can back up to iTunes using a cable or over wi-fi. Once your iPhone is connected it will appear in iTunes along with a list of items to sync. You won’t see contacts or messages as an option because they are synced automatically.
Restoring your iPhone from a backup

As long as you’ve backed up correctly, setting up a new phone or restoring an old one should be easy. Everything is connected to your Apple ID.

If you’re on an iPhone, you’ll get a range of options when you turn it on. Depending on how you backed up, you should choose either: ‘Restore from iCloud Backup’, ‘Restore from iTunes Backup or ‘Move Data from Android’. Once you’ve chosen, the on-screen prompts will tell you exactly what to do and all the data saved to your cloud or computer will be transferred into your new phone.

Ditching Android for iPhone

If the glitzy marketing of the latest handset tempts you over to the other side of the mobile world, both Apple and Google have ways to transfer data easily from one operating system to the other.

Apple built the ‘Move to iOS’ app, which you can download onto your Android phone. To use it you’ll need your Android and iPhone turned on with your iPhone on the initial setup screen. You’ll see several options, but the one you want is ‘Move Data from Android’. This will give you a pin to enter into the Android app that connects your phones.

The app will then trawl through your phone compiling your photos, contacts, messages, internet bookmarks and your Google account, which are then transferred to your iPhone. The whole process can take a few hours depending on how much you have to transfer, so make sure you have plenty of battery life before you get started.

Keep your phone number

Despite the numerous advances in phone technology getting your number from one phone to the other hasn’t changed. Your phone number is registered to your Sim card, so if you’re keeping the same Sim then you don’t need to do anything other than swap it into your new phone.

If you’re existing Sim card is physically too big for your new phone and you now need a micro Sim or you’re switching network provider, then you’ll need to contact your current one and ask for your PAC code. Give this code to your new provider and they can move your number onto your new Sim.
What if it all goes wrong?

If you’re terrified your years of photos and contacts will be lost to the ether during a back up or transfer, then make a copy onto your computer first. Even if you have absolute confidence in iCloud, it’s best to have a hard copy saved to your PC just in case.